In addition to the main properties of high refractive index and high Abbe number at low density, optimal, ophthalmic glass must have further important properties in order to be useful as glass for spectacle lenses. For medical reasons such a glass should not be transparent to UV rays having a wavelength less than 350 nm. On the other hand, it must not exhibit any kind of absorption in the visible spectrum since otherwise the glass would have an undesired color of its own.
Another important property in a mass-produced glass of this kind is that it be readily producible in appropriately large melt units (tank glass) and be capable of subsequent treatment or processing into machine producible pressings. To this end, the glass must have only a very small tendency toward crystallization. Particularly in the temperature-/viscosity-range of such processing below 10.sup.4 d Pa s, there must be no devitrification phenomena.
For the sake of the personal safety of the wearer of such spectacles, such a glass must have very good chemical hardenability. This property at the same time allows further reductions to be achieved in the thickness of the lens glass thus affording a lighter spectacle weight.
Another important requirement to be met by the glass is that of good chemical stability. The glass composition must be such that, during the processing or treatment of the glass by grinding polishing and washing as well as in ultimate use of the glass in spectacle lenses, agressive media such as acids, fruit juices, perspiration, etc. will not visibly attack the glass surface even over prolonged periods of time.
The current state of the art is comprehensively described in German Patent DEOS No. 31 39 212. In this publication is disclosed for the first time a composition range for an optical and ophthalmic glass having a refractive index greater than or equal to 1.58, an Abbe number greater than or equal to 45, and a density less than or equal to 2.75 g/cm.sup.3 as well as an excellent capability for chemical hardening. All previous patents relating to glasses in the refractive index range of 1.55 to 1.60 and the Abbe number range greater than 45 (e.g., JP-OS No. 79.10882 and GB-OS No. 20 29 401), however, do not permit within their composition ranges the production of glasses having a density less than 2.70 with a refractive index of 1.60 and an Abbe number of 50. However, the composition range according to German Patent DEOS No. 31 39 212, unlike that of this invention, is deficient insofar as it fails to fulfill the demands for corresponding UV absorption, high crystallization stability and chemical hardenability at the same time. Particularly in regard to absorption behavior in the UV range, no information was given in this reference, however, according to the latest medical knowledge, this is a particularly important aspect in a glass for spectacle lenses. Glasses which fall into the composition range specified in this patent either have unduly high UV transmissivity for a low titanium content or, with a higher titanium content, achieve strong UV absorption but already show coloration in the visible range of the spectrum. In order to satisfy simultaneously all of the given requirements, it is therefore necessary to provide a new composition range.